Report of a Home Office Fact-Finding Mission Bangladesh Conducted 14-26 May 2017 Published September 2017 This project is part funded by the EU Asylum, Migration and Integration Fund. Making management of migration flows more efficient across the European Union. Contents Introduction .............................................................................................................. 6 Background ........................................................................................................... 6 Purpose of the mission ........................................................................................ 6 Methodology ............................................................................................................. 7 Identification of sources ................................................................................... 7 Arranging and conducting Interviews ............................................................... 7 Notes of interviews/meetings ........................................................................... 7 Structure of this report ..................................................................................... 8 List of abbreviations ................................................................................................ 9 Executive summary ................................................................................................ 11 Summary report ..................................................................................................... 12 1. Overview ....................................................................................................... 12 1.1 Geography .............................................................................................. 12 1.2 Demography ........................................................................................... 12 1.3 Languages .............................................................................................. 12 1.4 Religion .................................................................................................. 13 1.5 Economy ................................................................................................ 13 1.6 Education ............................................................................................... 14 1.7 Human rights organisations .................................................................... 14 2. Political situation ......................................................................................... 14 2.1 Overview ................................................................................................ 14 2.2 Youth/student wings ............................................................................... 16 2.3 Influence of Islamism .............................................................................. 16 2.4 Laws used against political opponents ................................................... 17 2.5 Arrests and detention ............................................................................. 17 2.6 Executions .............................................................................................. 18 2.7 Human rights violations .......................................................................... 18 2.8 Protection ............................................................................................... 18 Page 2 of 134 3. Police and security services ....................................................................... 18 3.1 Organisational structure ......................................................................... 18 3.2 Reporting and arrest procedures ............................................................ 19 3.3 Documents ............................................................................................. 20 3.4 Surveillance mechanisms ....................................................................... 20 3.5 Enforcement of the law ........................................................................... 21 3.6 Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) ................................................................. 21 3.7 Corruption ............................................................................................... 22 3.8 Avenues of redress ................................................................................ 22 4. Judiciary ....................................................................................................... 22 4.1 Structure ................................................................................................. 22 4.2 Backlog ................................................................................................... 23 4.3 Witness Protection Programme .............................................................. 23 4.4 Legal Aid ................................................................................................ 23 4.5 Corruption ............................................................................................... 24 4.6 Fraudulently obtained and forged documents ........................................ 24 4.7 Land disputes ......................................................................................... 25 4.8 Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) .................................................... 25 4.9 Shalish.................................................................................................... 26 4.10 Village Courts ......................................................................................... 26 5. Prisons ......................................................................................................... 27 5.1 Prisons and prisoners ............................................................................. 27 5.2 Prison conditions .................................................................................... 27 5.3 Access to lawyers and family members ................................................. 28 6. The media ..................................................................................................... 29 6.1 The media landscape ............................................................................. 29 6.2 Freedom of expression ........................................................................... 29 6.3 Online activity ......................................................................................... 30 6.4 Laws used against journalists ................................................................. 31 6.5 Protection ............................................................................................... 31 7. Lesbian Gay Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) people .......................... 31 7.1 Terminology ............................................................................................ 31 7.2 Social norms ........................................................................................... 32 7.3 Laws ....................................................................................................... 32 7.4 Hijras ...................................................................................................... 33 7.5 Gender reassignment ............................................................................. 33 7.6 Men who have sex with men (MSM) ...................................................... 33 Page 3 of 134 7.7 LGBT community and activists ............................................................... 34 7.8 Police treatment ..................................................................................... 34 7.9 Societal/family treatment ........................................................................ 34 7.10 Protection ............................................................................................... 35 8. Religious, linguistic and ethnic minorities ................................................ 35 8.1 Constitution ............................................................................................ 35 8.2 Indigenous peoples ................................................................................ 35 8.3 Biharis .................................................................................................... 36 8.4 Community relations ............................................................................... 36 8.5 ‘Land grabs’ ............................................................................................ 36 8.6 Other mistreatment ................................................................................. 37 8.7 Situation for converts .............................................................................. 38 8.8 Secularists and atheists.......................................................................... 38 8.9 Protection ............................................................................................... 38 9. The Rohingya ............................................................................................... 39 9.1 Rohingya people .................................................................................... 39 9.2 Rohingya in Bangladesh......................................................................... 39 9.3 Government response ............................................................................ 40 9.4 Status ..................................................................................................... 41 9.5 Documentation ......................................................................................